Day 2

Today we visited the Devine Providence (Hospitalito), where Mons. Romero lived as Archbishop, and also where he was shot and killed in 1980. This was the first time many of us heard about the influence that Romero had on the people of El Salvador. He advocated for the peace and rights of the poor during his life, and risked his life fighting for what he believed in. Unfortunately, Romero was murdered while saying mass in 1980, which was a turning point in the conflict between the military-led government of El Salvador and the FMLN and the civil war began soon after his death. The pictures below show the home where Romero lived, and the church where he was murdered:

We also visited Casa Hogarand had a meeting with a leader of the Dolores Medina Fundation. This is an organization that works with kids who live on the streets. We learned that one of the major issues that the country faces today is the amount of gang violence and gang activity that exists. Gang activity has led to homicides, and other violent crimes, including robbery, extortion, and kidnapping, making El Salvador one of the most dangerous countries in the Americas. The government, unfortunately, hasn't established a plan to address this problem. Fortunately, there are organizations, like Dolores Medina, that works with the youth to keep them out of gangs.

We had the opportunity to speak with one of the young boys that lives in this home and he explained some of the horrible circumstances that the youth in El Salvador must face on a daily basis. The problem that arises is that young boys who join gangs risk their lives everyday by the types of gang activity that they are involved in. Sadly, the youth that stays away from joining gangs are also at risk for being killed, because when gang members see a boy who is not part of their gang, they automatically assume that they are part of another group. This has become the case for many individuals in El Salvador. The young boy that we spoke to expressed this concern with us.


Many children and young adolescents become involved in gang activity at a very young age and this has a

Check out their blog: Fundación Dolores Medina.